


Don't Forget Me, I Beg

by Kimmi_watch



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Derek was still a werewolf, F/M, Future Fic, M/M, Magical Gypsies, Magical Memory Alteration, Matefic, Reincarnation, Stiles is stubborn, Stiles was a woman in a past life, even to magic, finding the way back to each other, star crossed lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-11-14
Updated: 2013-09-20
Packaged: 2017-11-18 15:41:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 22,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/562672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kimmi_watch/pseuds/Kimmi_watch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Your kin took the beloved of my kin and now I'm taking <em>your</em> beloved." The gypsy snarled at him. "But don't worry, you won't even remember he existed. Call it a small mercy, even though you don't deserve it."</p><p>And so, with a spell, the gypsies had their revenge.</p><p>But this was only the beginning of the story. Because Stiles Stilinski never let things go smoothly and this was no different.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Once Upon a Time

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, this is my first Teen Wolf fic, and the first fic I'm posting to AO3, so I'm a little nervous. Also, it's unbeta'd so any mistakes are all my own.
> 
> The characters in the beginning are Stiles and Derek, just their past lives, so please don't let that put you off. Stick with it, I just had to write the past before I could get to the present.
> 
> The title is (very obviously) taken from Adele's 'Someone Like You'.

A lot of great love stories start with the words 'once upon a time' and this one is no different. 

Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, there was a young gypsy woman out for a stroll in the woods late one night. She'd been told tales from birth about all the monsters that roamed the woods but she wasn't afraid. She just needed to get out and clear her head a little. You see, she was fated to marry a man she didn't love, simply because he was besotted with her and wished it so. She felt like she was trapped and didn't like that feeling so needed some time to herself to think.

"You're on my land. Young women shouldn't be roaming the woods alone at night." A voice came from behind her, but when she whipped around to face the man the voice belonged to there was no one there. She knew better than to let her guard down though, knowing that there were all sorts of things in the woods that could mask themselves to the naked eye or move fast enough to not be seen.

"I can handle myself." She called out, blushing when she tripped over a root. The young man let out a gruff laugh and darted to her other side.

"Don't you know there are _monsters_ in these woods?" He asked, speaking into her ear but darting away before she could see him. His scent lingered though and she couldn't help but think he smelled heavenly.

"Don't you know gypsies aren't scared of monsters?" She countered. The man let out another short bark of laughter before smothering it. "Won't you show yourself to put my mind at ease?" She asked. There was silence as the man hesitated before he finally stepped out into a slither of light.

He was quite a handsome young man. _Very_ handsome. So handsome that he immediately set her heart racing. He had dark hair, the most amazing green eyes and his beard was trimmed smartly, pretty much just stubble. His physique was impressive, even more impressive than even the hardest workers of her clan, and she could practically taste his strength in the air. "Ah, a werewolf." She said finally, once she was able to un-stick her tongue from the roof of her mouth. The smug look that spread over his face let her know that he could hear the pounding of her heart, could probably smell her desire as well as her nerves. "Now I'm upset that I'm not wearing my red hood." She quipped, grinning when he looked amused.

"I'm hardly the fabled woof in those tales. And I can assure you that I don't wish to eat you." He told her. She nodded, looking down shyly.

"Then what _are_ your intentions?" She asked, looking up at him from underneath her lashes. She took a measure of satisfaction in the way it made his mouth drop open momentarily and loose his train of thought.

"I wanted to see the young woman foolhardy enough to go walking these words late at night all alone up close." He told her. She opened her mouth to answer but they both tensed when a commotion sounded from where her group had set up camp. "I think your people are missing you." He told her softly and she sighed.

"Meet me here again. Tomorrow night." She begged, walking backwards towards her camp. She wasn't sure what it was but something was drawing her to him. She really could have left and never seen him again but something made her want to see him again. 

"And just why would I do that, gypsy?" He asked in amusement, crossing his arms over his chest, drawing her gaze to his bulging muscles.

"Why _wouldn't you_ , werewolf?" She asked once she'd pulled herself together again, giving him a cheeky smile before spinning on her heel to see where she was going. It wouldn't do to fall over another root again in front of him, or worse, walk right into a tree. It could happen, she was clumsy like that.

"If I'm to meet you, shouldn't I know your name?" He called after her, making her stop and turn to face him again.

"Tshilaba, but my friends call me Shila." She told him with a grin. She'd always hated her name and much preferred going by her nickname. "And now that you know my name, shouldn't I know yours?"

"Duncan." He replied softly, actually sounding shy. She smiled at him, pausing to just stare at him for a moment, before hurrying away when she heard her fiancé calling her name from camp.

The two met up again the next night, and then the next and the next and the ones after that as well. It didn't take long for Shila to realize that she had fallen in love with the werewolf. Her wedding was fast approaching, her family was due to arrive in a week to witness it, and then they would be getting on the road and traveling again. She really didn't want to leave her Duncan, didn't want to marry another man when she was so in love with someone else.

"Run away with me." Duncan said gruffly on what they'd decided would be their last night together. They were laying in the grass deep in the woods, far away from Shila's camp and Duncan's pack. Their bodies were entwined, Shila's head resting on Duncan's chest and their fingers threaded together.

"I can't." She told him regretfully. Her father had made a promise to the Purrum's and it was her duty to uphold that promise. "I _want to_ but I can't." She added. Duncan frowned, holding her tighter. "What would a gypsy woman do in a pack of wolves anyway?" She asked, trying to inject humor into her tone but failing miserably. Duncan sat up and stared into her eyes.

"Be with the wolf who loves her." He told her, making her gasp. They hadn't exchanged words of love and she never in a million years would have guessed that he'd say them first. "You could... get the bite if you wanted." He suggested, making her eyebrows raise. She hadn't even considered that, she didn't know why she hadn't considered it but she really hadn't. A part of her wanted to stay human but above all else she wanted to be with the man she loved, and if being a werewolf made that easier then maybe that was what she should do. "Or not. You don't have to do that. I just want to be with you." He added, staring at the ground instead of her. Emotions like that were hard for Duncan and he didn't want to see her rejection on her face. 

Shila let herself consider it, let herself _picture_ it. She couldn't help but smile at the image of running through the woods with her mate at her side, of raising a bunch of little werewolves that had Duncan's eyes but her sharp tongue. The fantasy was heavenly. "Do it." She whispered, making him stare at her in surprise. It was clear he hadn't thought she'd really want the bite and she wondered if he hadn't really meant it. She started feeling self conscious about accepting what was obviously a false offer, but then he grasped her hand, staring deeply into her eyes.

"Only if it's _really_ what you want." He told her, searching her eyes to make sure it _was_ what she really wanted. He didn't want to pressure her into doing something she didn't really want to do, _becoming_ something she didn't really want to become.

Shila smiled and reached up to cup his cheeks. She could see that he didn't want to dare hope that she wanted to be like him, that she wanted to be _with him_. "That's what I really want." She assured him, making sure to stare back into his eyes and say the words clearly and convincingly. He could hear how steady her heart was as she said the words, could see in her eyes that she really meant it.

With a grin he lifted her arm and bit the inside of her wrist, stroking her side to soothe her as she gasped at the pain of the bite.

They fell asleep under the stars, wrapped up in each others arms, and when they woke up it was to the sight of the Purrum's surrounding them, her fiancé, Emilian looking livid.

" _This_ is where you've been sneaking off to? To meet up with a filthy wolf?" He spat at her. Duncan growled at him but she put her hand on his chest, calming him.

"I've been meeting up with my _mate_." She said bravely. He stared at her in shock before shaking his head and pulling a dagger from his belt. He made a thrust towards her, catching her with the blade before Duncan managed to push him back with a howl. His family gathered around him, keeping Duncan from attacking any more. Duncan paced like a caged animal between going back and forth to check on Shila. She kept assuring him she was fine but he still didn't like that she'd gotten injured.

It didn't take long for Duncan's pack to come up behind them, answering Duncan's panicked howl, and then it was more evenly matched but neither family wanted to start something just yet. This was how blood feuds started.

"You got the bite?" Emilian asked in disbelief when he saw her being helped up by a couple of Duncan's pack, her wounds healed. She raised her head defiantly, not bothering to even answer the question. He rushed towards her again but was held back by his family as the werewolves all turned defensive and growled at him. "You filthy wolf, I will get my revenge on you. On your _pack_." He spat at them, saying it like it was a dirty word. "My children will have the heads of your cursed children, on your children's children, on your children's children's children." He swore, letting his family pull him away.

And so a blood feud between the two families was born. Which leads us to present day and the Hale pack. And like a lot of great stories and legends there's a spell cast by a misguided witch. Which is where things get really interesting.

****

Gypsies were a pain in Stiles' ass. Really, he hated them with a vengeance. They were always messing things up, doing stupid things like casting love spells that backfired which made Scott spend a few terrifying weeks convinced he was in love with Stiles, or turning Isaac into a literal puppy dog (though that one was both hilarious and adorable). 

They tended to hold silly grudges too and that was when shit got _really_ bad.

This time, the clan of gypsies bothering them apparently had a centuries old grudge against the Hale pack. All because Derek's great great great great great great grandfather and the fiancé of the head honcho gypsy guy had fallen in love and he'd given her the bite. Apparently they kept turning up in the Hale's lives every so often to cause havoc and mess things up for them, which Stiles didn't get. Build a bridge and get over it already.

The pack was aware that they were in town long before they made a move. The leader of the clan let them know he was watching them, creepily lurking around them even when all they were doing was getting pizza for the pack, giving even _Peter_ a run for his money in the creepy lurking department. It set Derek on edge. He'd never actually come up against this family in his lifetime, and neither had his parents, so he had no idea what to expect. He especially didn't like that they'd seemed to take an interest in Stiles. They weren't the first group to decide they wanted Stiles for themselves and Derek was sure they wouldn't be the last. If they wanted to trade Stiles for the feud ending he wouldn't do it, his mate was too precious to him. Though he'd deny even thinking those words if anyone, especially Stiles, asked.

It all happened very suddenly. They were dealing with a territory dispute with another pack and things were getting heated, in that Derek and the rival pack's Alpha were fighting viciously while the rest of the packs were having their own little scuffles as well. Even though his attention was focused on the other Alpha he still knew the moment the gypsies arrived and circled Stiles.

The leader of the clan had Stiles by the neck and the rest of the gypsies were surrounding him, chanting in an ancient language he couldn't understand. Derek made a move to go for them, to get Stiles away from them, but one of the gypsy women did some kind of spell and a huge flash lit up the sky, blinding them all momentarily. By the time Derek was able to see again, the leader of the gypsies was right in front of him, his hand reaching out to grip his throat and squeezing.

"Your kin took the beloved of my kin and now _I'm_ taking _your_ beloved." The gypsy snarled at him. "But don't worry, you won't even remember he existed. Call it a small mercy, even though you don't deserve it." He added, throwing a handful of powder into the air as the chanting around them reached a fever pitch.

"Stiles!" Derek called out just as all of the werewolves in the area and Stiles blacked out.

Derek and his pack came to the next morning. The rival pack were still passed out around them and it was confusing. None of them had any idea what had happened, what they were doing in the middle of woods with the rival pack. They couldn't even remember going to the meeting, let alone it getting out of hand. As they left the clearing Derek felt like something was wrong, that something was missing, but couldn't quite put a finger on what it was. 

And so, with a spell, the gypsies had their revenge.

But this was only the beginning of the story. Because Stiles Stilinski never let things go smoothly and this was no different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tshilaba is Romani (Gypsy) and means 'seeker of knowledge', which I thought was appropriate for Stiles' past life. Plus I shortened it to Shila to keep in with the whole Stiles nickname thing.
> 
> Emilian is Romani and means 'rival'.
> 
> All names were found by using an internet name database so they may be wrong but I liked those descriptions so used them. 
> 
> I hope you liked it enough to stick around, next part will flash forward so there'll be more actual Stiles and Derek in the following parts. Any kudos or comments would make my day :)


	2. My What Big Eyes You Have

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to thank everyone for their kudos and for the comments I received as well. They really made my day. Thank you so much for reading. I hope you like the second part of my story, yet again it's unbeta'd so all mistakes are my own :)

Stiles sat in his family's library, reading up on werewolves. He was crouched down below the top of the couch so people passing by the library wouldn't see him from the doorway because he really didn't want to get busted looking through the books again. His mother said he had an unhealthy obsession with werewolves but he couldn't help it, he was curious about them. His family had a lot of dealings with werewolves but he was never allowed to go along to the meetings, unlike every other supernatural meeting where he was not only _allowed_ to attend but _encouraged_ to attend. It wasn't his fault that he found werewolves fascinating. He blamed the time he'd watched that Michael J. Fox werewolf movie as a kid.

"Hi." A tiny voice said from his right, making him jump and flail around in surprise of being discovered. The book he'd been reading went flying through the air before dropping to bounce off his head and falling to the floor. He grumbled in pain and rubbed his head, turning to see his three year old niece standing at his side giggling.

"What have I told you about sneaking up on me, Esie? Do you want to give your favorite uncle a heart attack?" He asked, snatching her up off the floor and moving her to his lap instead. She nodded, a cheeky look on her face, so he gave her an exaggerated hurt look before tickling her, grinning at hearing her laughter ring through the library.

After he'd exacted his revenge via tickle attack for her sneaking up on him and taking years off his life, he bent to pick up the book he'd been reading, dusting off the cover and making sure it hadn't been damaged. The family's library was filled pretty much exclusively by books written by the family from first hand accounts and went back for generations. He'd already ruined way too many copies of the books by dropping them or spilling coffee on them or there was one time he'd fallen asleep reading one and saturated it with drool. He kept trying to convince his father to join the 21st century already and digitalize everything, but he was stubborn and set in the old ways so always refused.

"Read me story?" She asked, climbing into his lap and resting her cheek against his chest, cuddling up to him. He chuckled and flipped to a random page so he could pretend to read her a story out of the book. The page had a hand drawn picture of a werewolf on it and she squealed excitedly, pulling the book towards her to get a closer look.

"Once upon a time there was a lone werewolf." He started, pointing at the werewolf and making his voice go up higher as he made stuff up to make a suitable story for a three year old. When she was younger he'd been able to just read what was in the text book to her while using funny voices but she didn't stand for that anymore so he had to make it up. "He was sad because all of his family were gone and he was alone." He continued, holding her closer to his body. "But then he stumbled across a boy genius and his loveable yet dimwitted best friend. As much as the surly werewolf didn't want to admit it, he was completely smitten with the boy genius from day one and that made him a lot happier. Suddenly everyone wanted to be the sourwolf's friend, it was like magic. Their pack grew and grew and they even had their own uniform of leather jackets and matching scowly smirks." He continued.

"Did they fall in love?" She asked, clapping her hands together excitedly. Stiles smiled and nodded. He couldn't very well go against her wishes, now could he?

"Yes, they did. Even though the werewolf tried to hide how much he loved the boy genius, even though he denied it when asked. Right up until the boy turned 18, then he finally asked the boy out to dinner and admitted to everyone that he was completely in love with him and had been for years." A throat clearing in the doorway made Stiles jump. He looked over and saw his sister Kayla standing there, an amused smirk on her face.

"Don't go telling my daughter stories that will give her ideas that might get her hurt, Gyan." She told him, walking into the room and lifting her daughter off his lap, securing her on her hip. Stiles frowned and shook his head.

"It's not like werewolves are _all_ bad. I mean, yeah, there's the ones our family hates but we also have ones who we turn to for help, right?" He asked. She nodded, moving to sit next to him. "And don't call me Gyan." He added sulkily, making her roll her eyes at him.

"Where'd you come up with that story anyway, _Stiles_?" She asked curiously, putting an emphasis on his nickname for his sake, and he shrugged.

"I don't know. Made it up." He told her. "I mean, it's not like I've ever actually _met_ a werewolf, you know?" He reminded her. Maybe _that_ was why he was so obsessed with them, if he was actually allowed to have a conversation with one it might make them seem boring or something. Kayla looked worried for a moment, confusing him because he didn't know what he could have said to worry her, before her face cleared. 

"Don't worry, you're not missing out on much." She told him airily, standing up and plonking her daughter back onto his lap. "Watch her for me. And for the love of God, don't tell her any more werewolf stories." She told him, poking him in the chest and then heading for the door. He mock saluted her, sharing a grin with Esie when she giggled at the move, and ignored the look Kayla was giving him in return. As soon as Kayla was gone Esie moved to stand on his lap, wrapping her small arms around his neck and smooshing their cheeks together.

"What happened next, uncle Stiles?" She begged. Stiles grinned and checked to make sure the coast was clear of his sister before continuing on with his story. He really didn't know what the big deal was anyway so what was the harm?

Meanwhile Kayla was rushing towards her father's office as fast as she could. She knew that Stiles was most likely continuing on with the story but there was nothing much she could do about that. Instead she was going to do her duty and inform the elders of what was going on.

"Papa, Gyan is telling Esie werewolf stories again." She said as she burst into the office. She blushed as she realized that her father was not alone. 

There were a few elders from other gypsy clans as well as a couple of people she knew to be the werewolves their family dealt with in his office with him. It looked like they were speaking about something important and knew it was not good that she'd interrupted, especially with that issue. Doran Lee was a very important man, not only as the head of their clan but also among the other gypsy clans as well. A lot of other elders looked up to him. Her father ground his teeth together, looking livid, before forcing himself to calm.

"Kayla, we will talk about this _later_." He told her shortly. "But I don't see the harm in stories." He added lightly, even though they both knew that wasn't true. 

Things weren't meant to be this difficult after the spell. 

Kayla nodded and backed out of the office, pacing the hallway and worrying her lower lip between her teeth. She hadn't meant to embarrass her father during a meeting like that but the whole family were under strict instructions to inform him when things like this happened with Stiles.

The spell had been failing slightly from the very first day it had been cast. It was supposed to remove the memories of his life, as well as the memories of him from everyone that had ever known him, and replace them with memories of being part of their family instead, removing all memories of werewolves and Derek Hale in particular. They knew that it had seemed to work on the other end, no one from his old life remembered him or anything about him, including his father, and he'd been erased from any of the pictures he might have appeared in, but Stiles was stubborn, that was the only explanation for the way he'd reacted to the spell.

They'd had to cast the spell on him twice because the first time he'd woken up he'd acknowledged them as his family but had then asked where Derek was. That was unacceptable. Even after the second spell had been cast he'd still insisted upon being called Stiles, which made absolutely no sense for his new life, but there was nothing they could do to change his mind, and he still had a fixation with werewolves even though they tried to stamp that out of him.

When the meeting ended, her father saw everyone out, giving her a look as he passed, instructing her to wait for him. When he came back he nodded her into his office, following her in and shutting the door firmly behind them.

"What was he saying?" He demanded as soon as he spun around to face her.

"Things that sounded too close to the truth." She told him. He shook his head, pacing around the office.

"We should have just killed him." He muttered, making Kayla gasp. 

As worrying as Stiles distantly remembering snatches from his old life was, she couldn't imagine a life without him now. He'd been with them for five years, he'd been her _brother_ for five years, and it felt like he really _was_ her brother. He'd been there for her wedding, acting like any younger brother would being all proud and happy for her but still teasing her about what to expect on her wedding night. He'd been there when her daughter was born, he was Esmeralda’s favorite uncle even though she had four other uncles, men who were _really_ related to her. Though to be fair Esmeralda didn't know Stiles wasn't her real uncle, and neither did anyone else outside of the family. She really didn't want to think about them killing him when she knew what a kind and loving man he was.

"You can't kill him, Papa! He's _family_ now." She pointed out hysterically. Her father waved her off, shaking his head.

"I couldn't kill him now any more than I could kill _any_ of my children." He told her, making her sigh in relief. "But sometimes I wonder if we did the right thing." He added, rubbing at his beard and thinking it over. There had to be a solution to this mess but he hadn't been able to come up with one yet.

"Of course we did." She said emphatically. There was a reason they'd chosen to go this route, he was something special, they'd just gotten lucky that everyone fell in love with him fairly quickly. "He's an asset to the family. _Any_ family would be lucky to have him, he's so smart and kind and loving. And remember, if it wasn't for his research skills and quick thinking we'd probably _still_ be dealing with those Imps." She pointed out. He nodded and looked as proud of the reminder as if he really was his son. 

"What that boy needs is a distraction. Something to take his mind away from everything to do with werewolves." He suggested. Kayla grinned, an idea forming. She'd been meaning to bring it up for a while now.

"He needs a _wife_." She told him, making his eyes widen. "I've had women from different clans asking after him for years. Setting him up with a girl from another clan, from the _right_ clan, could lead to a helpful alliance." She pointed out. He nodded happily, proud of his daughter for thinking of it. He couldn't believe they hadn't tried something like this before. Maybe it was Stiles heart's unwillingness to let go of the Hale he'd been mated to before the spell that was causing trouble. If they put him into a position to fall in love with someone else it might be just the thing to make his heart move on and let the spell finally be completed. Then they wouldn't have to worry about anything like that again, could just let him be part of their family without worrying that he was going to remember his old life and turn on them.

"I'll set up some meetings with the other clans to discuss which of their daughters they want to have the chance to marry our Gyan." Doran assured her and she grinned and nodded. "But in the meantime, get the boy out of the house, maybe that will stop him from thinking about werewolves." He told her. "For a little while at least." He added grudgingly, knowing that he was stubborn and would probably still hold onto that damn obsession. She nodded and headed back to the library, rolling her eyes when she saw Stiles chasing Esmeralda around the room with his hands up in the air acting as claws and growling at her. 

"Stiles, Papa wants you to go get some more supplies." She told him, making him groan. He hated going to the magic store because it was mostly filled with wannabe hippies who wouldn't know the first thing about real magic or the supernatural if it was right in front of their faces, which it often was when they were in the magic store and they didn't even know it. The woman who ran the store was a skin walker after all so they'd definitely at least come in contact with the supernatural.

"Can't _you_ go? You know, as the family's most powerful witch?" He whined but she shook her head. He huffed but went to the door, knowing he couldn't argue with her. "What do we need?" He asked with a resigned voice. She walked over to the desk and jotted down a list of things she knew they were running low on and then handed it over to him. He scanned it quickly and then nodded, kissing her cheek and heading out.

As he walked out the front door he saw a man, roughly his age, leaning lazily against the front of the house with one leg crossed over the other and his arms crossed over his chest. He was tall with broad shoulders, dark hair that was shoulder length but pulled back in a ponytail and a cheeky smile on his face. He looked vaguely familiar and it took only a moment for him to remember that he was with the pack of werewolves that his family was associated with and to remember that his father had had a meeting with that pack that day, which is why he'd been in the library researching werewolves again. 

The werewolf looked up when he stepped out the front door, a smirk coming to his face as he let his eyes trail up and down his body. Stiles swallowed nervously and turned in the direction of the magic store, seeing the werewolf pushing off the house and following after him out of the corner of his eye. For a moment he worried he was about to be eaten or mauled or something, alliances be damned, but when he turned back to check on him he found that the guy was staring at his ass with a lustful look on his face. Stiles blushed and snapped his head back towards the direction he was walking, narrowly avoiding walking right into someone walking the other way.

He was being eyefucked by a werewolf. Holy crap, it was like all of his most secret fantasies come to life.

On a whim he crossed the road, smirking when the werewolf did the same, and then crossed back, outright laughing when the werewolf again followed after him. He zigzagged all over the sidewalk for a while before darting down a side street and spinning to face the guy as he too turned the corner. He had a goofy grin on his face and leant against the brick wall, looking over the werewolf slowly, much like he'd been doing to him the whole time. The guy was absolutely gorgeous, Stiles had no idea what he was doing checking him out.

"Can I help you?" He asked, arching an eyebrow. The guy grinned and stepped closer to him.

"You're Gyan Lee, right?" He asked, as though he didn't already know. Stiles nodded, even though he didn't like being called by his first name.

"Yeah, I am. But please, for the love of all that's holy, call me Stiles." He told him. The werewolf nodded, looking him over again. "Do _you_ have a name or should I call you random werewolf stalker?" He asked.

"Cullen Caulfield, pleasure to finally meet you." He told him, reaching his hand out for a handshake and then letting his hand linger behind once it was done. "I was starting to think you didn't really exist or something." He added with a laugh and Stiles snorted.

"Oh, no, I definitely exist. Look at me standing here, all existing and whatnot." He said, gesturing to his body. Cullen's eyes followed his hand's motion, making Stiles feel like he was getting undressed with the werewolf's eyes again. He shivered and felt his cheeks heat up. He was extremely flattered at the attention and the fact that it was by a werewolf just excited him. "Was there something I could help you with?" He asked, wondering why he'd been waiting for him, because that's what it appeared like he'd been doing. People didn't usually loiter outside of someone's house after being dismissed if they didn't have a reason. Cullen grinned and stepped closer.

"I just really wanted to meet the great Stiles Lee, the youngest of the Lee clan yet boasted as being one of the most amazing." He told him. Stiles blushed again and waved him off.

"Me, amazing? Nah, you should meet my sister, Kayla. Now _she's_ amazing, she makes Hermione Granger look weak." He told him, trying to deflect the attention from himself. "Me, I'm not even worthy of being called Neville Longbottom. I get lucky sometimes and I'm great at the whole research thing but that's about it. Seriously, not impressive _at all_." He babbled. He always got this way when he was being praised, he couldn't help it. Cullen's lips twitched in amusement.

"You seem pretty impressive to me." He told him, letting his eyes travel over his body again. Stiles let out an awkward laugh, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"So, you're part of the pack my family are allies with?" He asked and Cullen nodded. "Anything big going down in the werewolf world? Any crazy Alpha's running around biting innocent bystanders? Any giant lizard beasts attacking people? Ooh, how about a pack of Alpha's going crazy on everyone?" He asked, firing off questions without even thinking of them. Cullen chuckled, giving him a curious look.

"Um, no. And just where did you get those ideas?" He asked but Stiles shrugged. He honestly didn't know, they'd just come out.

"I babble when I'm nervous, in case you didn't notice, I cannot be held responsible for what comes out of my mouth when I babble. It's unattractive, I know, but that's just me. Good old Stiles Lee, motor mouth extraordinaire, king of all the babblers. Bow down to my babbling powers or they will run right over you. And oh, my God, please shut me up." He begged, groaning at the words coming out of his mouth. Cullen chuckled and gave him a fond look.

"I think it's _adorable_." He told him, making Stiles' eyes widen. He'd been called adorable hundreds, maybe thousands, possibly even _millions_ of times, but it was usually in the friendzone way, 'oh Stiles, you're so adorable, let's be best friends and you can braid my hair', as opposed to whatever this was.

"Um. Thank you." He told him, rubbing the back of his neck again.

"Would you like to get a cup of coffee with me?" Cullen asked once he was finished mentally undressing Stiles again, trailing his eyes back up his body and arching an eyebrow questioningly. Stiles' mouth dropped open in surprise.

"Coffee? With... with _you_?" He asked and Cullen nodded, looking amused. "You and me, sitting down together, drinking coffee. Me and a _werewolf_ having a good ol' cup of joe together." He said in surprise. "Wow, I mean... wow." He had no idea what else to say to that. Just an hour before, he'd been reading up on werewolves and wishing he could go down the hall and actually _meet_ one and now he was being asked to go have coffee with one, it was insane.

"Yes, coffee." Cullen said with a chuckle. "Unless I'm not your... _type_?" He asked, arching an eyebrow again.

"What, the werewolf thing?" Stiles asked without even thinking the question through. "Some in my family would argue that that makes you _too much_ my type." He said with a chuckle. Cullen laughed as well, stepping closer again, standing much closer than before, so close that their chests were brushing. 

"I meant the being a _guy_ thing. Humans aren't always as open to that sort of thing as werewolves are." He corrected. "Though that's good to know too." He told him, his eyes darting down to his lips. Stiles laughed nervously, reaching up to rub the back of his neck again. He'd never been hit on like this before -and this was definitely being hit on and hit on hard - and didn't really know how to react.

"Oh, no, I'm cool with that too. _Completely_ cool. Like, I'm one hundred percent on board with that. Or fifty percent seeing as though I'm completely equal opportunity on that front." He rambled, edging back a little in his flustered state. "Yep, _everyone_ has the chance for some Stiles loving. Oh my God, someone seriously shut me up, please." He begged, completely embarrassed by his mouth that just would not _shut up_. It was times like these that he really hated the fact that he tended to ramble when nervous. Not that he'd ever had a time like this before but still, the point stood.

"Oh, I'd really rather not. Like I said, you're adorable." Cullen said, completely amused by him. Stiles laughed nervously again. He was about to agree to getting coffee with him when an image of his father drifted through his head, giving him a disapproving stare for agreeing to a date with a werewolf when he wasn't even supposed to be anywhere near them. Then he thought of his mother and how disappointed she'd be in him. Then he thought about his family's past with werewolves and the fact that even though they had some alliances with them now it still wasn't that kind of alliance and he realized he couldn't do it.

"Look, I'd love to get coffee with you and do lots of other... fun and interesting things with you but I'm not even supposed to _speak_ to werewolves so..." He trailed off, waving his hands around in a way that to him meant that he was sorry but he couldn't.

"Ah, but doesn't that make it even a little bit fun?" The other man asked, leaning closer again. "Come on, _one_ cup of coffee. What harm could that do?" He asked. Stiles snorted.

"Have you _heard_ the history of my family? We have a blood feud with a pack because someone took one little stroll in the woods with a werewolf and that led to other things and now we're, like, sworn enemies or whatever." He pointed out, giving him an apologetic look and walking away. It wasn't that he didn't _want_ to go out with the handsome man showing an interest in him, because he really, really did, but he didn't want to disappoint his family.

"Well yeah, but I'm not a Hale." Cullen called out after him, making Stiles pause. "And my pack has an alliance with your clan." He added. Stiles considered these facts for all of two seconds before deciding that they were perfectly acceptable points, never mind the fact that he'd already considered them and brushed them aside himself. They sounded a lot more convincing when said out loud and by someone else. He spun around and marched back to him.

"So, I heard someone mention something about coffee?" He asked, giving him a grin. Cullen chuckled and placed a hand on Stiles' lower back, letting his nose lead them to the closest coffee shop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I chose the name Gyan for Stiles because it's an odd name and it means 'wisdom and enlightenment', which I think is not only perfect for this story but also for Stiles in general.
> 
> Kayla means 'wise child, which I like for her character.
> 
> Doran means 'stranger, exile', which is perfect for obvious reasons.
> 
> And Cullen means 'good-looking lad, handsome'.
> 
> As you can see, I'm going a bit crazy with names that mean something in this fic. :)
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this part, there's more to come!


	3. I Walked With You Once Upon a Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I know that it's been ages since I updated this and I am so, so sorry. My life got really hectic with my work changing my hours again and I received a review that actually made me question this whole story. 
> 
> First off I want to say that I mean no disrespect to the Romani people. My gypsies in no way accurately represent the Romani people. My gypsies are fictional, supernatural gypsies not unlike the ones in Buffy that cursed Angel. If I have offended anyone with anything I have written I am extremely sorry, that was never my intent. I chose gypsies because witches has been done again and again and I wanted something a little different. 
> 
> For a while I couldn't even make myself look at this story but I'll be trying to get back into the swing of things. I have another chapter already finished and I was in the middle of another when I stopped but I'll try to get back to it.
> 
> This is a Sterek story through and through. There may be other 'love interests' for our boys in this but Sterek is endgame. I ask that you stick with me for the parts with the others but if you can't, I understand.
> 
> Lastly, I want to thank luxmachina (luxnowell) for encouraging me to continue with this. I'm glad to have a friend like you :) Also, thank you to everyone who has read this story, left kudos or whatever, I'm sorry you waited so long for an update and hopefully that won't happen again.

Derek had had this dream before. 

Many times before. 

He was running through the woods, chasing after a familiar and comforting voice that was calling for him to follow. He felt like he knew the person the voice belonged to, felt like he absolutely _had_ to get to the person. The voice was calling out teasingly, fondly, to come find him already because he was getting sick of waiting and just wanted him back already. Derek would see flashes of the man but not enough to figure out who he was or why he was so important to him, he just knew that he was.

As the dream went on he'd get closer and closer to the man, and the closer he got, the more content and happy he felt. Finally he'd get close enough to touch the man and he'd take him into his arms, tumbling down with him to the ground and holding him tightly. He'd finally see the man's face and everything would feel like it was slotting into place. A familiar and addictive scent would wash over him, making him bury his face in the man's throat so he could breathe it all in. Declarations of love would fall from his lips, from the both of them, and the man's name would come to him and it would be all he could say, and then they'd be kissing, holding each other tightly like it would make sure they wouldn't be separated again because he hated being away from him. 

But then Derek would wake up, alone and lonely in his bed, clutching his pillow like it was a lover. The face of the man would be lost to him, the scent would soon be gone too and he could no longer hear the voice or remember the man's name, no matter how hard he tried to remember it. His wolf would feel like howling in loss every time he woke up from this dream and he just didn't understand it. It felt like he'd lost something real and solid every time he woke up from the dream and his wolf knew it.

The dream was coming a lot less frequently than it had in the beginning. When the dream had first started he'd been having it every night but now he was only having it every couple of months. Something in him was terrified that he'd stop having the dream altogether and that that would mean he'd loose something he wasn't even sure he'd actually had to begin with. Actually he was pretty sure he hadn't had it to begin with because he didn't remember feeling like that for any person ever. When he got up he dressed slowly, trying to hold onto the scent still stubbornly trying to cling to his memory, but knew he had to face the rest of the pack when it was all lost to him yet again.

As soon as he entered the kitchen of the remodeled Hale house, the pack looked to him. He was in a bad mood and they could all sense it, getting out of his way as he headed to the coffee machine and struggled with it before finally getting the damn thing to work. None of them could use the fancy machine well and they couldn't remember which of them had bought the stupid thing in the first place but none of them were willing to part with it. A few of the newer pack members had suggested getting rid of it a few times and it was always like they were suggesting they kill one of the original pack with how strongly they reacted to it. None of them could explain why that was, it was just a stupid coffee maker afterall.

"You had the dream again?" Isaac asked softly, giving him his worried puppy dog eyes. His pack all knew about the dreams because of the way he acted after them. Derek grunted in return, reaching out to finger some of the buttons of the coffee machine softy, staring at it with a frown on his face and trying for probably the thousandth time to remember who'd bought it. It felt like the answer was on the tip of his tongue but it would fly away whenever he got close to remembering it.

"Well you've been having them less frequently lately - this your first one in over a month - maybe that means they're stopping." Carmen, a beta that had only been with them for six months, suggested. Derek growled at the idea of the dreams stopping, making her back up out of the room warily. She'd obviously thought she was helping but he didn't want to think about the dreams stopping.

"We'll figure out what they mean before they stop, don't worry about it." Boyd assured him, daring to step closer and put his hand on his Alpha's shoulder comfortingly. Derek reached up to squeeze it before letting go, trying to shake the dream from his mind so he could stop being so surly.

"Oh my god, guys, I have the best news. Lydia's pregnant." Scott called out, rushing into the kitchen, skidding on the tiles in his excitement and sliding right into the pantry. The pack chuckled at his clumsiness and Derek lifted his eyes to share an amused look with someone who wasn't even there, someone he couldn't remember, frowning when he realized what he was doing. It wasn't the first time he'd found himself doing something like that and he knew it wouldn't be the last.

"And why are _you_ telling us and not Lydia or Jackson?" Erica asked, arching an eyebrow at him.

"They don't know yet. I could smell it and I didn't want to spoil it for them but I needed to come tell _someone_ so here I am." He explained, giving them all a huge smile. "I have to tell..." Scott started, frowning as he couldn't remember who he'd thought he needed to tell the news to so urgently, the name on the tip of his tongue but not quite there. It was far from the first time that had happened for Scott too.

"Let them figure it out by themselves." Derek told him, squeezing his shoulder in sympathy as he walked past him. "I'm going for a run, I'll be back later." He told everyone, putting his barely touched coffee down and heading outside.

He ran to a clearing in the middle of the woods. It was the spot where the whole pack had woken up in with no idea what they were doing there years ago and something always drew him there. He found himself staring forlornly at a certain spot, trying to figure out what was so important about it and failing, yet again. He had no idea why this particular spot was so important to him but it was. When he was standing there he felt both calm and distressed at the same time, like his human side and his wolf side were at odds with something. His wolf was aching, begging for him to remember something he didn't know and his human side felt like he was close to something every time he went there. 

He'd spoken to Deaton time and again about this issue, trying to figure out what was going on, but even the vet had no idea what was causing this feeling of loss. He too felt like something was off but couldn't figure out what it was. He'd told him that he felt like something was missing, that some _one_ was missing, but didn't know what or who and that it didn't make any sense with what he could remember. The way he'd said it made it clear that he didn't trust his own memories but that didn't even make any sense, why would they need to not trust their memories?

"Are you okay?" A voice asked from behind him, making him whip around. Gwyn, a werewolf that was visiting them from another pack, was standing there looking concerned. Derek nodded, feeling his wolf snarling inside at her being in this spot for some reason. She stepped closer to him and ran her hands down his chest, watching the muscles flexing at her touch with a hungry look in her eyes.

He wasn't a fool, he knew why her father, the Alpha of her pack, had sent her there. They wanted her to mate with him so their two packs could have an alliance or so they could merge their two packs together. She was very beautiful; tall with pale skin and brown hair that fell around her shoulders in soft waves with a bow shaped mouth that always seemed to draw his gaze to it, but he just wasn't interested. He _would_ find himself drawn to her if it didn't already feel like his heart belonged to someone else, even though he had no idea who it could be. For a while he'd been worried that it was Kate but every time he thought about her he felt disgust and betrayal, definitely not love, so it thankfully wasn't her.

"Just thinking." He told her, stepping away from her so her hand fell away from his chest and staring at the ground instead. She looked disappointed at that but he didn't care.

"Anything I can help with?" She asked curiously. He looked up at her and saw that she honestly did want to help. She was a kind and caring woman and it wasn't her fault that her father had sent her to him in hopes of their mating. He knew she really liked him as well as being attracted to him, which made it so much worse that he couldn't let himself fall for her too.

"No, it's fine. Alpha stuff." He lied and she nodded.

"Well, I'm here if you want to talk about anything. Anything at all." She told him, a warm and earnest look on her face. He nodded, giving her a tiny smile in thanks. He kind of wished he could feel something for her, things would feel so much better if he wasn't in this weird limbo. But he was and he didn't so that was what he had to deal with.

"I'm just going to keep running." He told her. She nodded, taking a step back.

"And I'm guessing you don't want company?" She asked and he shook his head. She nodded and watched as he took off again.

After running around the woods for a couple of hours he made his way to Deaton's office. Isaac was working that day and gave his Alpha a nod of acknowledgement, having had a feeling that he'd turn up at the veterinary clinic after his dream the night before, and waved towards the back rooms where Deaton was. Derek nodded back and passed him to head back there, squeezing Isaac's shoulder as he went.

When he walked into the exam room Dr. Deaton was working in, the vet wasn't even surprised to see him. He always seemed to know when he was going to drop by. It was both helpful and annoying.

"Isaac tells me you had another dream last night." He told him without even waiting for Derek to extend a greeting. Derek rolled his eyes at himself, of course that's how he'd known to expect him, but nodded. "Do you remember anything particular about the dream?" He asked though he didn't sound like he thought he would. Derek let out a huff of annoyance and shook his head.

"It's always the same. I feel like I should remember something but the only thing that really stays with me is the feeling of contentment I had while I was with the man." He told him, letting his eyes slide shut and hanging his head. "I don't know how much time we have left to figure this out. I feel like I'm running out of time, like I'm... _loosing him_." He told him. "Which is stupid because I never even _had him_ to begin with." He added in annoyance. Deaton shrugged.

"That we're aware of." He said mysteriously. Derek huffed, hating it when Deaton spoke like that. He'd _remember_ if he'd been with someone like that, he _would_ , he knew he would. Or at least he thought he would. You don't just forget someone who made you feel like he felt in the dream. "I'm doing my best, Derek, but every time I feel like I'm going to get close to something it slips through my fingers." The vet said, annoyance in his tone. Derek could sympathize with that because that's how he felt every time he woke up from his dreams.

Later that night Derek settled down to sleep again, feeling an ache deep inside, willing himself to have the dream again. It was rare these days to have the dream on back to back nights but he _needed_ it, needed to feel that rightness and wholeness and contentment again.

Instead of having the dream again that night he had a different dream. He found himself running through woods that felt like home but they weren't his own woods. A woman appeared at his side and the feeling from his other dream was back, like she was his everything. It was a woman but it also felt like she was the man from his dreams, even though that made no sense at all. Judging by the woman's clothes it was a long time ago but it still felt like it was his life.

They made their way to a small village made up of people that felt like family and pack and into a small cabin that was theirs. They went into a bedroom and checked on four children that were sleeping peacefully in their beds, the both of them smiling and tucking them in, laying kisses on their heads before kissing each other. Just as they were leaving the children, a loud ruckus sounded outside and he felt panic overtaking him as he dashed to the window, seeing a clan of gypsies attacking their village.

"They've come for their revenge." The woman said, sounding panicked but not surprised. 

"Run. Take the children and run, Shila." He told her but she shook her head.

"They're here because of _me_ , you go. Take the children and be safe." She countered, walking for the door. He felt panic rising in his gut and shook his head.

"I'm as much to blame as you are. Please, our children need a _mother_." He begged. She looked torn but finally nodded and he helped her bundle up their children and saw her out the back door, watching to make sure she got away safely before turning to go and help his kin fight off the gypsies.

He was in the middle of furiously chasing some gypsies away from their village in full wolf form when he heard a whimper that made him whirl around in a panic. His wife was laying on the ground, in her wolf form, blood pouring from a wound in her stomach and her ex fiancé, Emilian, standing above her with a satisfied look on his face.

"Shila!" He howled as he shifted back, running towards her as fast as he could. This could not be happening, she was his _mate_ , the love of his life, and he couldn't loose her. She shifted back to her human form as the pain became too great to hold form. He pushed Emilian back with all his strength, sending him flying into the side of a house, and bent to cradle his wife's head in his lap. "I told you to _go_." He told her angrily, holding her tightly. He could feel her slipping away, her injuries too great to heal from. He could smell wolfsbane in the air, in her wound, and knew the knife she'd been stabbed with was laced with it.

"I've never been good at following instructions." She reminded him with a grimacing smile, reaching up to cup his cheek. "The children are safe, I promise, but I couldn't leave you here." She told him, blood bubbling up from her mouth. He let out a cut off sob and held her tighter, pressing his forehead to her chest.

"You can't leave me _now either_." He told her, tightening his hold on her. "You hear me Shila? You take that stubbornness I fell in love with and _refuse_ to die." He instructed, pulling back to look at her again. She chuckled weakly and shook her head.

"I would if I could, my love." A groan of pain escaped her lips. "I love you, Duncan. I have from the very beginning and I will in the next life, and the next and the next and the next. You'll _always_ be my mate. Always." She told him, her voice trailing off as she started loosing her fight to live. 

"I love you too, Shila." He told her, tears falling down his cheeks and kissing her desperately. "I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you." He told her, kissing her with each declaration, on her forehead, her cheeks, her nose, her mouth. He heard her heart slow even more and then stop, a tear leaking out of her eye as she took her last breath. He sobbed painfully, gripping her tighter and rocking her back and forth. "I love you, Shila. I will _always_ love you." He said in a wrecked tone, pressing one last kiss to her lips and then throwing his head back in a howl that sounded like her name even as a wolf howl.

Derek woke up tangled in his sheets and in a panic, the name Shila on his lips. He forced himself out of bed and ran for the bathroom, making it there just in time to empty the contents of his stomach into the toilet with sobs wracking his body. He felt a body pressed up against his back and hands running through his hair soothingly and let his head fall back on the person's shoulder. For a moment it smelled like it was that heavenly scent from his dreams before he realized it was a woman holding him and not a man, and not even Shila from his dream. It was Gwyn, pressed all along his back and murmuring soothing words into his ear.

"Who's Shila?" She asked softly once his sobs had died down. Derek shook his head, trying to clear the remnants of his dream from his brain. Unlike his other dream, this was not one he wanted to hold onto. Seeing your mate die in your arms was not pleasant.

"Shila is from an old family legend." He told her, remembering the stories his mother used to tell him and his brothers and sisters before bedtime. All those stories had had happy endings, Shila and Duncan living a long and happy life without the gypsies getting their revenge, but he was starting to think she'd just been putting a happy twist to them for her children. It probably wasn't even his mother that had changed the details, seeing as though those stories had been with his family for generations.

"The gypsy, right?" She asked - everyone knew about their family's history with the gypsies - and he nodded. "What happened? Have you ever had those kind of dreams before?" She asked curiously. He shook his head because he'd definitely never had those dreams before, and even if he had he didn't want to share them with her. Even though it had been horrible, he felt like he'd lost something real and precious to him so he wasn't going to share that with anyone.

"I don't know." He settled for telling her. "Sorry if I woke you." He added but she shook her head.

"It's fine." She assured him, running her fingers soothingly through his hair. Something about the action felt familiar so he sunk back into her, letting his eyes slide shut as he relaxed into her. "Come on, let's get you back to bed." She said after a few moments, pulling him to his feet and leading him back to his room. He climbed back into bed but the dream was still haunting him so reached out and grabbed hold of Gwyn's arm, tugging her towards the bed. She smiled and nodded, following his prodding and climbed into bed with him. She wrapped herself around him, holding him tightly. Derek squeezed his eyes shut and pretended that the arms around him were another set of arms, arms that he couldn't remember outside of dreams, and drifted off to sleep with a small smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully I'll be posting the next part in a few days. Thanks for reading.


	4. How Do You Solve a Problem Like Stiles?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading and giving kudos and the like. You guys are all awesome :)

Stiles was in Hell. He must have done something really bad in a past life to have to suffer through this level of Hell, that was for sure.

"Stand up straight, Gyan. And stop fidgeting." His mother told him, slapping his hands away when he went to pull at his tie. He whined and threw his head back, giving her a pleading look.

"This is because I'm the youngest or something, isn't it? I'm being hazed." He complained, tugging at his tie yet again, pouting at the slap to his hand that motion received. "I'm your _baby_ , don't put me through this, Ma." He begged, giving her his best puppy dog eyes. She rolled her eyes and spun him around, right into the clutches of yet another girl that was there for the sole purpose of trying to tempt him into marriage.

When his father had announced that they were having a party and inviting a bunch of people from other clans to attend, Stiles had been excited. He had a buddy from another clan that he only ever got to talk to while kicking his ass on online games, it would be good to actually see him face to face for once, and it was always fun to sit around and watch the elders starting off all dignified but ending up sloppy drunk as they all eventually tried to drink each other under the table. But then his mother had breezed into his room a few days before the party - embarrassing because he'd been surfing the internet in his underwear at the time, and even though he hadn't been on his dirty sites it still sucked - and started going through his wardrobe. And then his niece had excitedly mentioned something about him getting her an auntie and the final clue had been when his brother Simon had just completely blown the secret that the party was a shindig to find him a wife.

A wife?

A wife! 

His family was insane. He was 25, not over the hill yet, so he was pretty sure the whole thing was overkill. Not to mention the fact that he already _had_ a boyfriend, thank you very much. Which, to be fair, he wasn't _actually_ mentioning to his family seeing as though he knew they would freak out if they found out he was dating a werewolf, and he still wasn't sure how his father would react to the whole bi thing either. He was pretty sure his father already knew. but it was like a shared secret that nobody mentioned, his sexuality, and maybe that's how it was supposed to stay in the eyes of his father.

His phone buzzed in his pocket so he pulled it out to check on it. Funnily enough it was from Cullen, his werewolf boyfriend, and was instructing him to ' _pick the drunk blonde_ '. He snorted and looked around the room, seeing more than one drunk blonde.

' _How do you know there is a drunk blonde?_ ' He typed in return, scanning the room again just in case Cullen had managed to sneak in with them. It was unlikely, given the amount of magicks in the room, but still something he felt he had to check.

' _Please. There's always a drunk blonde. I could have just as easily said the drunk brunette and been right._.' The response came quickly, making him grin stupidly down at his phone.

"Just who are you texting that's making you smile like that?" Tomas, the second youngest of the family, asked as he sidled up to stand next to him, trying to get a peek at his phone. Stiles held his phone protectively against his chest and whirled around to keep it away from his brother's sticky fingers. Knowing Tomas he'd probably already lifted his wallet out of his pocket, seeing as though he liked to abuse his magicks for petty theft, but he would not let his phone out of his hands.

"No one. None of your business. Shut up." He said childishly, making Tomas chuckle. 

"Ma will have your head if you've got some little non gypsy strumpet hidden away somewhere. She wants you to settle down with a nice gypsy girl." He pointed out. Stiles groaned at that. Even before his family had lost their minds and decided to throw him a party to find a wife, his mother had been going on and on about finding a nice gypsy girl to give him plenty of babies so she could have grandchildren. Never mind the fact that she _already had_ four grandchildren from his brothers and sister.

"I do not have some little non gypsy strumpet hidden away." He assured him, proud that he wasn't even lying. You couldn't really say that Cullen was a strumpet, though he was definitely going to call him that the next time they spoke. As a matter of fact, his fingers were itching to text it right now, to use it as a stupid pet name that would make him crack up laughing every time he said it.

"Come on, there's someone Dad wants you to meet." Tomas said with a chuckle, looking like he didn't believe him for a second about not having a girl already. The good thing about Tomas was that he would definitely not tell anyone even if he was to know the truth, Stiles just didn't want to put him in that position to lie to everyone else.

An hour and a half later, Stiles was trying to come up with a way to escape the madness. Way too many girls had been paraded past him in a bid for him to take an interest, and it seemed like every clan they knew had decided to try to fob off all of their single women on him, and that included everyone from spinsters in their forties or older right down to sixteen year old girls whose fathers assured him would give him strong and powerful sons. He felt a little like he was being pimped out like a prostitute and if _he_ felt that way he couldn't imagine how the women felt.

"Okay, look, I'm only going to say this once and if you even look like you're going to breathe a word of this to anyone, I'll wipe your mind so fast your head will spin." A woman his age said as she plonked herself down next to him, pulling her dress up slightly to give her room to bend her knees so she could pull her high heels off and rub her feet, looking annoyed. She was really quite beautiful with strawberry blonde hair that made him feel at home for some reason, soft looking pale skin and a wicked tilt to her mouth. "My family wants in on your family's power and connections. I myself could not give a crap about that but seeing as though I'm the only woman of child bearing age in my clan at the moment who isn't already promised to someone, I'm your only choice from my clan." She told him.

"Hey, I didn't even ask for this, I don't want the choice." He told her and she nodded, looking like she understood. He wondered if her family had done this for her, but if they had he would have known about it because he would definitely have been there. 

"Now, I have a boyfriend already, Justin, but he's not a gypsy so my family doesn't approve which means we have to sneak around." She explained, making his mouth tilt in amusement because that's exactly what he was doing. "Therefore I have a proposal for you." She added, arching an eyebrow at him.

"I'm intrigued so please continue." He prodded.

"I've been watching you tonight and you've been looking at your phone more than you've been looking at any of the women so I'm assuming we're in the same boat? You have a non-gypsy girlfriend and your family doesn't approve?" She asked but he shook his head.

"Werewolf boyfriend my family don't know about because I'm not supposed to socialize with werewolves." He told her and she barked out a laugh.

"Werewolf boyfriend. I'm impressed." She told him, giving him a proud look. "So, my proposition." She said, leaning closer to him. Stiles leant in as well, feeling like she might actually have an out for him. "We pretend we're falling in love but really we're covering for each other. It won't work forever but it will last long enough to give us some breathing room." She told him. Stiles laughed and nodded. This was the perfect deal, he could pretend to be spending time with her but really be spending time with Cullen and she could use him to spend time with her boyfriend too.

"You have yourself a deal." He said happily, holding his hand out for her to shake, grinning wider when she put her hand in his and gave him a firm shake. "But I feel like if we're going to pretend to be in love I should know your name." He pointed out.

"Maggie O'Doyle." She told him, not even looking embarrassed that she hadn't introduced herself.

"Gyan Lee, but if you don't call me Stiles we're gonna have a problem." He told her and she nodded.

"Should we get this thing started then, Stiles?" She asked, sliding her heels back on and standing up, holding a hand out to pull him up. He chuckled as she pulled him towards the makeshift dance floor, shaking her hips to the beat as she went.

Later that night Stiles collapsed face first onto his bed, feeling completely exhausted. He and Maggie had started their plans, spending the rest of the night talking and laughing and flirting with each other under the watchful gazes of their parents. He'd had fun with her and even if they weren't really going to be a romantic thing he just knew that they were going to become really good friends. She was sharp and funny and had an acid tongue which meant that every time she opened her mouth he couldn't help but enjoy whatever came out of it.

His phone buzzed in his pocket so he rolled over to pull it out, grinning when he saw that it was Cullen. He hadn't texted him as much when Maggie came along and he couldn't wait to tell him that he was off the hook as far as searching for a wife went.

"You found someone else, didn't you? Oh well, we had a good time while it lasted." Cullen said overdramatically as soon as he answered, making Stiles snort.

"Well I did meet someone. She's in a similar situation as me. We're going to pretend to be together so our parents get off our backs." He told him and Cullen hummed in agreement.

"She pretty?" He asked softly, actually sounding a little jealous which was just ridiculous. 

"Gorgeous." He confirmed. "You're prettier though." He added, a huge smile spreading over his face.

"You'd better be careful, Stiles. Werewolves are very territorial." Cullen pointed out and Stiles rolled his eyes.

"She's helping us out so you'd better kept your base instincts to a minimum." He pointed out, getting only a grunt in return. Stiles frowned, not liking how surly he was getting. Cullen was always fun and cheeky, hearing him like this over something that was going to help them wasn't right.

"You usually _like_ my base instincts." He pointed out, his voice taking on a seductive tone. Stiles sighed and let his eyes slide shut. Cullen was changing the subject, it was obvious.

"Look, I'm exhausted after that debacle. We'll talk tomorrow, okay?" He asked. Cullen hummed in agreement and Stiles sighed in relief. If he'd complained he wouldn't have known what to do. 

"Can I see you tomorrow? Maybe if I sniff this woman out I won't feel so bad." Cullen told him and Stiles nodded. Maybe that was the issue, he knew some other woman was pretending to be his boyfriend's girlfriend but hadn't actually met her. Maybe if he set up a meeting between the two of them things would go better. Or maybe that would just make things worse, Stiles had to figure that out.

"I'll try to get away. I probably bought myself some leeway hooking up with Maggie so I should be able to." He told him. "I'll see you tomorrow." He said, waiting for Cullen to echo the words back before hanging up.

He threw his phone onto his bedside table and headed over to his computer. He started it up and logged onto one of his favorite websites. It wasn't anything dirty, it was a werewolf site. He'd found it a few years ago when he'd been searching for all things werewolf and had been amused by it's name, The Sourwolf Club. It seemed to have been made by a human in a pack to try to help other human's that found themselves in a pack of werewolves but it hadn't been updated for years, making him think that maybe something had happened to this human. If the entries were anything to go by he'd been a pretty funny guy, probably someone he'd be friends with. Heck, most of the entries looked like they could have been written by him.

He clicked onto what had always been his favorite page on the site, 'So You're Mated to a Werewolf' and begun reading through it again. He wouldn't say he was _mated_ to Cullen yet, they were just dating, and his family would probably find out about them and ban them from seeing each other before it got to the whole mating stage, but it would still come in handy.

According to the website, werewolves were not comfortable with unknown people being all over their mates. It suggested that if a new person came into your life, whether it be a new friend, a distant relative you hadn't seen for a while or even a coworker, to introduce their scent to the werewolf slowly. It suggested spending time with the new person and then going to see your mate without showering beforehand so their scent was still on you while letting them know that the person the new scent belonged to was not a threat. That was easy enough. Another tip was to ask if you could have a piece of the new person's clothing or something that belonged to them and take it with you to meet your mate. It stressed that it would be best to have the two people speak on the phone before you introduced them face to face if the werewolf was having territorial issues, which definitely made sense.

He kept on reading down the page, double checking about the whole bisexual issue. He was worried that the reason Cullen was acting so strange about the whole Maggie thing was because she was a woman. He'd already read absolutely everything on this website multiple times and had read every book on werewolves that he could get his hands on so he already knew the answer, but he wanted to reassure himself. Sure enough it said that werewolves had no hang-ups on sexuality because their mate could be any gender, it wasn't about what sex they were, it was about their compatibility and how the werewolf felt about their mate. It was actually really common for them to fall in love with and be mated to someone of the same gender. So at least that meant that that wasn't the issue.

Content with everything he'd read, he logged off and got changed for bed. As usual it was more early morning rather than late night by the time he was done with whatever had taken his attention so he collapsed into bed, trying to shut off his mind so he could get some sleep.

He fell asleep fairly quickly and was drawn right into a dream. 

He was sitting on a bed in an unfamiliar bedroom, even though it felt like home, and he had a laptop on his lap. He was busy clacking away at the keys and didn't notice when someone slipped into his room through the window and moved to loom over his shoulder to see what he was writing. Whatever he was writing made him chuckle and shake his head, a look of deviousness spreading over his face as he leant closer to the screen.

"Hilarious practical joke to play on your werewolf buddy number 1. Set up a tiny oven in the woods where he spends his full moons and put a stuffed rabbit inside it for him to find the morning after a full moon. He will squeal and it will make you laugh so hard you almost throw up." A voice read from over his shoulder, making him jerk so hard in surprise that his laptop almost tumbled off the bed to land on the floor. He looked over his shoulder and saw probably the hottest guy he'd ever seen glaring down at his computer screen. 

"Jesus Derek, wear a fricken bell." He complained, clutching his hand to his heart. "Don't you know it's rude to break and enter and then read things over people's shoulders?" He asked, giving him a piercing look. The dude, Derek, didn't look like he cared about proper manners at all, given the epic bitch face he was giving him.

"Your window was unlocked. Is that not an invitation?" He asked innocently, arching an eyebrow and giving him a shit eating grin. Stiles rolled his eyes and swatted at him ineffectually.

"An invitation to what? Last I checked I was still the underage son of the Sheriff and you weren't going there." He pointed out snottily. "Even though you totally could because I would be more than fine with keeping this whole thing a secret for another couple of months until I'm eighteen." He pointed out, giving him a hopeful look. Derek sighed and sat down on the bed next to him.

"I've told you, Stiles, I don't want that." He told him sadly. "It's just two months." He added.

"So you'll undress me with your eyes but not with your hands? You'll plan dates with me but not actually take me on them, all because of a lousy couple of months?" He asked, shaking his head. "Do I need a sign that says 'open for business' or something?" He added. Derek sighed and leant closer to him.

"I don't want this to be a secret and that's all it could be until you're eighteen because your father's the sheriff." He whispered, making Stiles raise his eyebrows in surprise. This was the most he was getting out of him when he brought up wanting to just be together already. "I was... with Kate. She wanted to keep us a secret and I went along with it, even though I didn't want to, and she ended up killing my family." He explained, sounding choked up. Stiles frowned and slid closer to him on the bed. Yeah, he'd figured out the whole Kate thing but he'd thought Derek wouldn't feel that way around him, would know that he'd never do anything like that to him.

"I would never do that, Derek. Never." He told him softly, reaching out to put his hand on Derek's thigh. Derek nodded, following Stiles' lead and moving closer so their sides were touching.

"I know that." He assured him, giving him a tiny little smile. Seeing a real smile on Derek's face still had the ability to make Stiles gasp. He was gorgeous even when he was scowling or glaring but he looked even better with a real genuine smile on his face, especially when it was directed at him. Stiles loved being the one it was aimed at, loved being the one who put it there. "But that was my first relationship, my _only_ relationship, and I want to get this one right." He told him, a small blush rising on his cheeks.

"Oh, yeah, we'd want a great story to be able to tell the grandkiddies one day." Stiles joked, his eyes widening when it made Derek's pupils dilate and his eyes to dart down to his lips, licking his own lips as well. "Whoa, shit, you totally want to have puppies with me one day." He said in surprise. They'd always had chemistry, even back when Stiles was pleading with Scott to kill Derek, and then they'd become friends and that friendship had very quickly dissolved into mutual flirting and they'd talked about dating but he honestly hadn't realized it was that serious.

"I... you..." Derek stammered. It was fascinating seeing the usual confident (even if he was faking it) Alpha so flustered. Derek gathered his confidence and sat up straighter, looking him right in the eye. "You're my mate. I want _everything_ with you." He said, pulling together his usual confidence, even if he was still blushing slightly. Stiles' mouth flapped open and closed for a moment, his eyes wide and shocked as he processed that information.

"Mate. I'm your _mate_?" He asked and Derek nodded. Stiles groaned and grabbed a hold of the collar of Derek's shirt and pulled him closer. "I'm sorry but that deserves at least one kiss, doesn't it?" He asked breathily. He felt like he was floating and like everything was slotting into place. Derek's lips twitched up and he leant closer.

"One kiss and then we wait until you're eighteen." He told him. Stiles nodded hurriedly though it didn't really mean much seeing as though he'd agree to just about anything to be able to have Derek's lips pressed against his own. He'd been thinking about it since he was sixteen and still being slammed against walls (though who could blame him when Derek's eyes drifted down to his lips? And holy crap, had Derek felt like he was his mate back then?) and now he'd be able to see if it was as good as he'd always imagined it would be.

Derek leant forward and kissed him, holding his gaze until the last possible moment. With everything they'd been talking about and because he'd always pictured it going that way he'd thought their first kiss would be passionate and hurried and a very enjoyable fight for who'd have control but it was far from the case. The kiss was soft and sweet and so amazing that Stiles couldn't help but moan, reaching up to hold onto Derek tightly. Derek had full control of the kiss and Stiles felt no inclination to take over because this was perfect as far as kisses went and he wouldn't change anything.

Way too soon for his liking Derek pulled away but leant forward to press his forehead against Stiles'. His grip on Stiles tightened and he let out a small whimper, as though the last thing he wanted to do was pull away even though he had to. He stole one quick kiss before forcing himself to pull away and stand up.

"So, werewolf ovens? Do I even want to know?" He asked, clearing his throat when the words came out husky. Stiles stared at him blankly for a moment before realizing what he was talking about. It was probably smart to talk about something other than mates and kisses and what he really wanted to be doing right now so Derek was smart to deflect like that.

"Oh, that. Just a little snippet for my online guide to being a human in a werewolf pack." He explained, an easy grin coming to his face. Derek stared at him in confusion for a moment before shaking his head.

"How does that...?" He started before cutting himself off. "You know what? Forget it." He added, sitting on the bed again, making sure to keep some distance between them. "Need any help with it?" He asked even though Stiles knew he thought the whole website idea was stupid. Stiles couldn't help but smile at Derek not wanting to leave just as much as he didn't want him to leave.

"Well I guess I need some pointers on what it means to be the human mate of a werewolf." He prodded, smirking at him. Derek let his eyes slide shut, shaking his head at him, before sliding just a little bit closer.

"Well werewolves mate for life you know. If a werewolf sees someone as their mate it's a very powerful thing. Nothing in the world can break a recognized mate bond. _Nothing_." He told him, his voice going low and seductive. Stiles swallowed heavily and nodded, tapping away at his keyboard but not actually writing anything, his brain pretty much turned to mush realizing Derek wanted that with him.

"Good to know." He told him. Derek smirked at him, knowing how he was feeling, and Stiles rolled his eyes, deleting the gibberish he'd typed and actually writing out words this time.

Stiles smiled in his sleep, hugging his pillow to his chest. The pillow didn't feel right, didn't feel like his mate, so he reached to his left side but the bed was empty. His smile was wiped from his face as he frantically searched for Derek in his sleep. Finally his panicked searching woke him from his dream and he sat bolt upright. The feeling of something being missing was still there but like every other time he'd woken up that way, his dream was completely forgotten, leaving only a warm feeling in his chest left over from the dream mixed with the feeling of something not being right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maggie is a mix between Lydia and Erica, which is why Stiles feels so at ease with her, just so you know.


	5. Smile Like You Mean It and Let Yourself Let Go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that I missed posting last week. I had Stocktake at work, which was hectic, and then it was my sister in law's baby shower so I was completely swamped last week. As always thanks to everyone who read, bookmarked, gave kudos or commented on this, hope you enjoy this part.
> 
> The chapter title is from 'Any Other World' by Mika.

It was date night for Derek. 

He didn't actually _realize_ it was date night mind you, even as he went around the house finding his wallet and keys and getting ready for it, but his Betas all knew it. Erica and Boyd were sitting on the loveseat, Erica curled up in Boyd's arms, while Isaac and Scott were on the floor in front of the couch Jackson, Lydia and Danny were sitting on, all of them watching as Derek headed through the room again to go get his jacket, patting his pockets once more to make sure he had everything he needed before heading to the door.

"Have fun on your date." Scott called after him, earning amused snickers from the others. Derek froze, a frown coming over his face, before turning back to face his second in command.

"It's not a _date_." He told him, crossing his arms defensively over his chest. "It's just dinner with Gwyn." He pointed out. The Beta's snickered again.

"Are you paying?" Erica asked and Derek shrugged and nodded. Gwyn was their guest, the daughter of another Alpha, it was customary to treat her to dinner, it didn't mean they were dating. Not at all. 

"Are you picking her up?" Isaac asked, a smirk on his face. Derek nodded again but he had a perfectly good reason. They had another couple of Beta's from different packs staying with them as they passed through town so Gwyn was staying at the local hotel instead of the house this time, and her car was actually parked at the house instead of the hotel. He couldn't very well ask her to take a _cab_ to meet him when he could just pick her up on the way there.

"Derek, honey, I hate to break it to you, but you're dating Gwyn." Lydia told him, her hand on her rounded stomach. Derek pulled a face and shook his head, still denying it. He didn't feel anything romantic towards her at all and she knew that. They were just friends, and if his Betas couldn't see that then that was their problem, not his.

"It's not a date." He growled at them, turning back to the door. Just before he could open it, the door opened and Peter walked in, took one look at him, and smirked.

"Ah, date night with Gwyn now that she's back in town." He said cheerily. "Have fun." He added, clapping him on the shoulder and moving out of the way. Derek clenched his jaw, his eyes darting towards where the Betas were all snickering again. 

"It's _not_ a _date_." He claimed yet again, though the words were starting to sound fake even to himself. He really didn't have any intention for it to be a date but if everyone thought it was maybe he'd have to talk to Gwyn about how much it wasn't a date, maybe he'd have to remind her that they weren't dating and never would.

"She calls you her mate, you know. When she's talking to other people." Peter supplied helpfully. Derek ground his teeth together and stormed out of the house, slamming the door shut behind him. He didn't believe that, didn't _want_ to believe it, but it could very well be true. She hadn't exactly been quiet with her intentions for him, with her _father's_ intentions for their relationship, so it was possible that she was telling people he was her mate behind his back. He really hoped that wasn't the case but he couldn't be sure. 

The drive over to the hotel was blissfully quiet, only the rattle of the engine in his ears. It didn't take long at all to get to the hotel and Gwyn was already out the front waiting for him. Her grin faltered when she saw that he was driving the Jeep instead of the Camaro. He knew she didn't like the Jeep but he actually preferred the Jeep sometimes. Something about the Jeep calmed him. He couldn't really remember where he'd gotten it from in the first place but he'd always just figured it had been his mother's or his grandmother's that Laura had had put into storage while they were gone that he'd forgotten about getting out and didn't think too much about it.

"No Camaro?" She asked as she climbed in and he shook his head. She sighed but didn't say another word on the subject.

He drove them to one of the pricey restaurants in town and parked the car. Once they were seated Gwyn looked through the menu, trying to decide what she wanted to have, but he could only stare at her. The restaurant was filled with couples, all holding hands or kissing or staring into each other's eyes lovingly, and that's just not what he wanted with Gwyn, or possibly with anyone. He had to make sure she knew that. The last thing he wanted was to lead her on and give her hope for something that would never happen.

"Gwyn, is this a date?" He asked and she looked up at him with a huge smile on her face. 

"Do you _want_ it to be a date?" She asked, trying to sound coy but actually sounding eager. Derek frowned and shook his head. Immediately her face fell. It was obvious she'd thought he was going to suddenly want this to be a date but that was the furthest thing from the truth.

"I'm sorry. You're a really great person, but I just don't feel that way about you." He told her. He'd told her this before, maybe not so bluntly but he had definitely let her know that he didn't want anything romantic with her. Gwyn's face crumbled and the waiter chose that moment to come over to take their order, saving them from an awkward moment. He knew that it was only going to be so long before they had to get back to the conversation but the reprieve was appreciated. Once the waiter was gone, Gwyn sighed and steeled her features, clenching her fists and putting them up on the table, staring him dead in the eye.

"Look Derek, I'm going to be straight with you." She told him, her voice level and calm even though she looked slightly devastated. "Your pack is loosing strength, and it's all because of you. You've lost seven new Betas since I've known you and I'm pretty sure your last two new ones are going to leave as well." She told him, shaking her head. "You have your core Betas, of course, and you could survive with just them but you're _already_ seen as _weak_. You're pining for something, Derek, and everyone knows it. Sooner or later another Alpha's going to come to take your territory or a Beta's going to step up to fight you for it and you won't win because you're distracted." She added, laying it all out on the table for him. He frowned but didn't argue because he knew it was true. "You've lost the fight in you. I know you, I know you're searching for something, for some _one_ , but I think it's time to face the fact that this person you dream of? May not actually be real." She told him.

"I know that." He snapped. "You think I don't know that?" Annoyance colored his tone. None of this was anything he hadn't already told himself time and time again. He was terrified of this feeling that a piece of him was missing, terrified that it seemed to be getting worse as time went by and was worried that eventually he'd just end up a shell who couldn't even do anything but mourn for whatever it was that was missing even though it might not even be real. She sighed and reached across the table to hold his hand.

"My father is a _good man_. He wants to _help_ you. He wants us to mate so we can merge our packs. That way it appears like he has more power but you still get your territory and your core Betas. You never have to worry about recruiting more Betas again, you can survive just as you are but with me at your side. I think it's a win-win situation for everyone." She told him. Derek thought it over. She was right, he wouldn't have to try to take on more Betas, he could hand over worrying about major threats to her father and simply worry about his territory.

"I don't love you." He told her plainly. He knew that there were packs that married off their children for strategic purposes but his family had never been like that. His parents had been true mates, they'd been completely in love with each other and mated because of that, and he'd always wanted that for himself. He'd deluded himself into thinking he had that kind of love with Kate and he knew he felt that kind of love in his dreams of the mystery man but he hadn't actually had it for himself. He wanted that, not a strategic mating, but maybe that wasn't on the cards for him.

"You might _learn_ to love me. One day." She offered, giving him a small smile. He tried to give her one back but he knew it came out grimacing. He honestly didn't think he would _ever_ fall in love with her. His heart belonged to this other person, who may or may not even be real. "Just think about it, Derek. This will solve all your problems." She promised him, picking up her glass of wine and taking a sip, bringing an end to the discussion. 

A few weeks later Derek was packing a bag. He'd thought it over and she was right. His preoccupation with his dreams was getting in the way of being a good Alpha and he couldn't have that. Sooner or later someone was going to come and take everything away from him and that would leave all of them screwed. He'd agreed to go and meet with Gwyn's father about merging their packs, even if it meant mating with someone he wasn't in love with. He wasn't going to tell the Betas yet, not wanting to worry them with it just yet, and just told them he was going to meet with Gwyn's father as a diplomatic thing. It wasn't even exactly a lie.

"If you miss my baby shower I will gut you, Alpha or not Alpha." Lydia warned from her spot reclining on his bed. Derek rolled his eyes at her because it was a terrible threat. They both knew that he wouldn't miss the baby shower for anything in the world. She was pregnant with the first baby of the pack, he wouldn't miss any important milestone to do with the pregnancy and she knew it. Still, he knew it made her feel better to threaten him so he allowed it.

"I won't miss the baby shower." He assured her. "I'll be back in a couple days. I might miss some of the visiting pack members arriving but that's about it." He added. She pouted, sitting up to look at him.

"You shouldn't even be missing _that_. You're the _Alpha_ , it's your job to greet the visiting packs." She told him petulantly. "I don't see why you have to go. Gwyn's not even going." She argued. Derek sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Everything will be fine, Lydia. This is just something I need to do, okay?" He asked and she sighed but nodded. "Don't go into labor without me here or I'll gut you." He told her with a smile and she snorted.

"I might, you don't know." She pouted. "She hasn't seemed to want to listen to her Alpha yet, she might take this as a challenge and come seconds after you leave." She told him. He chuckled and laid a gentle hand on her stomach, grinning when the baby kicked lightly against it. She was right, the baby had been very stubborn towards him in the beginning, it took a long time for her to let him feel her kicking. Every time Lydia exclaimed the baby was kicking and grabbed his hand so he could feel it the baby would stop kicking. She only ever kicked for Derek when she _felt like it_ but kicked on demand for the rest of the pack, he was sure she'd inherited both her mother's attitude and her father's stubbornness. 

"I'll be back before you know it." He assured her again, hefting his bag up on his shoulder and leaving her lounging on his bed. 

He passed the rest of the pack already decorating for the party, a small smile coming to his face at seeing Scott wrapping Isaac up with streamers and then kissing him quickly. He felt a pang in his heart at that because he felt like he should have someone to do that with. He had a voice in his ear teasing him about becoming a grandalpha, telling him 'cheer up, Sourwolf we're going to be grandfathers, sort of, even at our young age and I could not be more excited'. The voice disappeared and he growled in annoyance, heading to the car and slamming the door shut behind him. Gwyn was right, he couldn't even _think_ about anything without a ghost or a fantasy or whatever it was hovering over him.

****

Stiles sat opposite Maggie and her boyfriend, biting his nails and looking around anxiously. Cullen was taking him away for a couple of weeks and Maggie was covering for him, having told both of their families that the two of them were having a romantic getaway together when they would both actually be with their real boyfriends out of town for the whole time. Stiles was really excited and scared because before they actually went to be alone together Cullen was taking him to some party thing his sister was throwing. There were going to be werewolves from more than one pack there and for someone who was obsessed with werewolves that was a really huge deal.

"Honey, if you don't stop biting your nails they're gonna fall off." Maggie warned him, grabbing his hand and lowering it from his mouth. Stiles groaned and failed about a little.

"This is a big deal." He pointed out and they both nodded. "We're going away together for the first time." He added. "There's probably going to be sex. We haven't actually had sex yet. And what if there's _knotting_?" He asked. Maggie chuckled and shook her head.

"You shouldn't be this nervous about sex." She told him. "Sex is meant to be _fun_. I mean, you _have_ had sex before, right?" She asked, giving him a doubtful look. Stiles rolled his eyes and nodded.

"Yes I've had sex." He snapped in annoyance. "But not with a _werewolf_." He added.

"I'm sure it's not that different." Justin assured him sympathetically. Stiles nodded, though he wasn't that sure about that.

"And what about the whole I'm going to be meeting a whole bunch of werewolves thing? What if they hate me? What if they find out I'm a Lee and there's a Hale there? What if I get _eaten_ because a Hale decides to strike back at us for all the crap my family has put them through for generations, which I do not approve of by the way and never will. I had nothing to do with any of that and I would never let anyone try to add to that stupid blood feud and I am _really nervous_ , okay?" He ranted. Maggie watched him in amusement, used to his ranting by now, while Justin looked overwhelmed by the whole spiel.

"Stiles, relax. Just don't tell anyone that you're a Lee, don't act like a dufus and for God's sake, _calm down_. If you do all of that, you'll be fine." She assured him. He gave her a nervous look but nodded. He knew he could do this, he _could_. It was just a bunch of werewolves, and it was just sex with a werewolf, no big deal, right?

 _Right_?

He saw Cullen approaching from the opposite direction and yelped. He was kind of regretting agreeing to this whole thing.

"Hey, you ready to go?" Cullen asked, coming to stand next to him, bending to give him a kiss in greeting before offering Maggie and Justin a smile. He'd gotten over his territorial jealousy of Maggie and was actually grateful that they had someone to cover for them.

"All ready." Stiles forced out, giving him a tight smile. Cullen chuckled, bending down closer to him.

"You're lying." He pointed out, making Stiles deflate. He really hated that werewolves were all basically supernatural lie detectors. "If you're nervous about the party, you don't have to go." He told him.

"No, I want to go." Stiles told him. He might be nervous but he knew that he'd kick himself forever if he let this opportunity pass him by.

"Well we don't have to stay long if you don't want, I'm just obligated to swing by and make an appearance, nothing more. If you're not comfortable we'll leave early." He assured him. Stiles let out a sigh of relief. At least that was one issue that was easily dealt with. 

But the whole sex issue was another thing entirely that he'd have to deal with when it came to it.

"So, you ready?" Cullen asked again. Stiles nodded and stood up.

"As I'll ever be." He told him.

"Have fun. _Knot_ too much fun though." Maggie said, giving him a wicked grin. Stiles glared, he could hear the silent k she was using, and shook his head, turning his back on her and walking away. She thought she was funny but she really wasn't as funny as she thought she was.

****

Stiles slept for most of the car ride and when he woke up they were approaching the town the party was taking place in. He felt a little something fluttering in his stomach when he saw the sign that heralded their arrival into the town. He'd never been to the town that he could remember but something about the name Beacon Hills felt familiar, felt like he was meant to be there, felt like things were sliding into place...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't kill me for the cliffhanger.


	6. You've Got to be Kidding Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, um, yeah. So I'm sorry for not updating sooner. Life and stuff happened. Plus I keep getting distracted by new fic ideas so I am so sorry.

As Stiles and Cullen started driving through Beacon Hills, Stiles noticed that his boyfriend looked nervous. He was continually darting his gaze over to look at Stiles guiltily and jumped when he realized he was watching him. He cleared his throat and pulled over to the side of the road, staring ahead blankly for a moment before turning to face him, looking grim. 

"What's up?" Stiles asked in confusion, not knowing why they were stopping or why his boyfriend was so freaked out all of a sudden. Cullen bit his lip, resting his head back against the headrest and avoiding looking at him. 

"Look, I didn't want to tell you earlier and freak you out, because I really do need to make an appearance at this thing, and Gwyn's been bugging me about meeting you but..." He trailed off, making Stiles give him a worried look. He knew that Cullen's sister had been wanting to meet him but why was that making him so freaked out? He worried that Cullen didn't think his sister would like him, or maybe that the other werewolves at this thing would tear him to bits or something and that was not good. "This party, the pack that's throwing it?" He asked, plowing on ahead, and Stiles nodded, just wanting to know why he was so worried already. "It's the Hale pack. Their Alpha is a Hale." He told him, rushing the words out. Stiles’ eyes widened and he shook his head.

"You're joking." He said in hysterics. "Please tell me you're _joking_ , Cullen?" He begged but Cullen shook his head. "Are you trying to get me _killed_? You know all about our families history with each other, why would you do this?" He yelled at him. If he had known that the werewolf pack they were going to visit was the Hale's he never would have agreed to go. He definitely didn't agree with his family's blood feud with them, even though to his memory his family hadn't done anything to them in his lifetime, but it would definitely not be wise to be around them. Just because _he_ didn't carry his family's prejudice against them didn't mean that they'd feel the same way.

"I'm sorry." He said abashedly. "But on the upside, the Alpha's actually visiting with my father so he might not even be there at first. And we can leave when he gets there if you want, so he doesn't even have to know you were there." He told him. "Please, just come with me for a little while." He begged. Stiles shook his head, fuming. He couldn't believe he'd done this. He knew all about the whole Lee/Hale history, there wasn't a born werewolf who didn't, and this was dangerous ground they were on.

"I'm mad at you." He told him. "But fine, we'll go for a little while, I'll meet your sister, and then we leave before the Alpha gets back and tries to kill me." He told him, crossing his arms over his chest and looking out the window. Cullen nodded hurriedly and started up the car and continued to the town.

Stiles couldn't believe he'd done this. What was Cullen thinking, taking him not only into the middle of Hale territory but all the way to the Alpha‘s _house_? Not only was it dangerous to Stiles, it was dangerous for _Cullen_ to be seen with him too. And if anything happened to Stiles then that stupid feud would be reignited and he didn't want that falling on him, didn‘t want the blood of this pack on his hands. 

All he'd wanted was to go away for a couple of weeks with his boyfriend and to have a bonus encounter with a bunch of werewolves thrown in, he hadn't been expecting to have his life put on the line or for him to want to punch his boyfriend in the dick for dragging him into this.

He sat fuming, staring out the window to avoid looking at Cullen. As they drove through the town they drove past the police station and Stiles felt this urge to go inside to see someone but he didn't know who. They drove down a street and he couldn't seem to tear his gaze off of a certain house as they passed. They went past the town's cemetery and he felt this inexplicable sadness, like he had a loved one buried there even though he was one hundred percent sure he didn't. It was completely weird and he didn't know what was going on.

When they reached the house, he gasped. It was a beautiful house and he felt himself getting choked up at the sight of it. He had this image in his head of it being a dying dilapidated mess so to see it looking beautiful and full of life was making him emotional. He knew all about the Hale fire of course, he didn't think there was anybody involved in the supernatural world who didn't, but he'd never seen it when it was a burnt out husk so why should he care that it was completely done up and renovated back to it's former glory? It didn't matter though, he still felt this feeling of pride that it had been completely fixed up, and as weird as it sounded he felt like he had a hand in it being fixed up.

Cullen parked the car with a whole bunch of other cars, making sure not be blocked in just in case they needed to make a quick getaway. When they got out he tried to hold Stiles' hand but Stiles stubbornly pulled away, still completely angry that he'd glossed over the fact that the pack they were visiting was the one his family were mortal enemies with. That was definitely something you should tell your boyfriend, especially one who was already nervous about being around this many werewolves.

Suddenly a ball came flying from off in the distance just before a body came bolting into him, sending both Stiles and the mystery body flailing to the ground in a tangled jumble of limbs.

"Whoa, sorry man. Jackson's a huge showoff and I saw it was going to hit you so I tried to catch it but I couldn't get to it in time." The guy said, giving him an apologetic smile. He got up and offered Stiles a hand to help him up too.

"Sounds like a huge jerk." Stiles said, accepting the help and grunting at the force with which he was pulled up. He took his arm back gingerly and rubbed at his shoulder, feeling a twinge of pain. The guy's eyes widened.

"Oh, sorry, you're not... I could smell and I thought... but you're not, you're completely..." He babbled, trailing off, and Stiles chuckled.

"Human? Yeah, I am definitely not of the werewolf persuasion." He told him, earning a wide eyed look in return. "I _am_ in the know, though, so you don't have to worry about anything being outed." He assured him. The werewolf grinned and nodded.

"I'm not worried about that. You _feel_ trustworthy to me." He told him. "I'm Scott by the way." He introduced himself, offering him his hand, a bright smile coming to his face.

"Stiles." He said back, shaking his hand with a grin just as bright as the other man‘s. Scott's smile widened.

"Stiles. Cool." He said happily. "Hey, wanna come play? We're playing lacrosse, you ever play before?" He asked, leading him over to a clearing where the game was being played. Stiles shook his head, not even thinking about Cullen being left behind.

"Nope, never played before but I'll give it a go." He agreed. Scott grinned and handed him a stick.

"Hey everyone, this is Stiles, he's going to be playing with us." He called out, getting smiles and grunts of approval.

"What the hell kind of a name is Stiles?" A good looking guy called out from the other end of the makeshift field.

"What the hell kind of _face_ is that you've got?" Stiles countered, earning laughs and a good natured slap on the back from Scott. He couldn't help but grin, feeling completely natural falling into a banter with that guy.

"That's Jackson." Scott informed him. "So in case it wasn’t clear, you were right, he _is_ a jerk." He added with a laugh. Jackson rolled his eyes and gripped his stick tighter.

"Are we playing, _ladies_ , or are we gabbing?" He asked. 

They started playing and somehow Stiles actually knew what to do. He definitely wasn't the best player out there but he could at least play the game well enough to score a few goals. He felt like maybe he _had_ played this game before, even though he couldn't remember ever playing it or anyone he knew even _talking_ about it. They finished up the game and Scott led him over to where the drinks were set up, talking his ear off about how much of a natural he was, throwing in something about some coach being proud or something. He then went on to tell him all about the fact that he was mated to some guy named Isaac, talking like Stiles should know the guy when he didn't actually know him because he hadn't been playing with them, even though he was apparently a really good lacrosse player, and as of this moment the only people Stiles knew at the party were Cullen and the people he'd played lacrosse with. 

Stiles liked hearing all about Scott and Isaac and Scott and Isaac's life together though. He felt like he'd known Scott his whole life or something, and was genuinely happy to hear about the Isaac thing, guessing correctly that it was something they'd danced around for a while before admitting to their feelings for each other, even though all of that had happened years ago.

"So who do you know here?" Scott asked curiously and Stiles sighed.

"Oh, no one really. I'm here with my boyfriend." He told him, pointing out Cullen. The other werewolf didn't look particularly happy that he was talking to Scott but Stiles was so beyond caring right now. "His sister is close with the pack." He added. Scott looked intrigued by that and opened his mouth to ask more questions but was cut off by another man walking up to him and asking for his help. Just from the look of him and the way the two werewolves looked at each other he knew that it was Isaac.

"Sorry man, I've got to do something. I'll be right back." He told him, clapping him on the back again, and Stiles nodded. Scott took a few steps away before pausing and turning to look back at Stiles. It was like Scott was scared he'd disappear if he left him alone too long or something and while that might be weird for someone he'd just met, Stiles felt the same way so wasn't going to question it. Instead he waved him off, offering him a smile. It seemed to console Scott because he grinned right back and turned to follow after his mate again.

With Scott gone Stiles realized he didn't really know anybody else at the party. Sure, he'd talked to the other guys he'd played lacrosse with but he didn't really want to hang out with them. He looked around the party and spotted Cullen standing talking to a woman that was obviously his sister. Cullen looked up and offered him a smile now that he wasn't with Scott anymore, and waved him over to join them. Stiles was still angry with him and really wasn't ready to be around him just yet, let alone make a good impression on his sister, so he shook his head and pointed towards the food table, using that as an excuse to stay away. Cullen frowned but nodded, leaving him be for now.

There was a small line for the food and Stiles picked up a plate and stood behind an older man, eyeing what was on the table ravenously. It was like someone had chosen all of his favorite foods and put them out as a spread. He reached out to grab some curly fries right at the same time as the man in front of him and they both pulled their hands back in surprise, giving each other apologetic looks. Stiles started babbling off an apology, not even listening to a word coming out of his mouth, though he did hear a quip leaving his lips about the fact that the man shouldn't even be eating curly fries anyway, which was incredibly rude but the man was simply staring at him with wide eyes so it didn't seem to matter anyway.

"Um, are you okay, man? If it's that important to you, you can have all the curly fries, as much as that pains me to say." He told him, placing a serving of the curly fries onto the man's plate but the man shook his head.

"No, it's not that. You just... you remind me of my wife. It's the darndest thing." The man said, shaking his head. Stiles rose his eyebrows.

"My father is not a milk man, in case you're wondering." He joked and the man chuckled as well, even though it had been a really lame joke.

"Is that curly fries on your plate? You know you're supposed to be watching what you eat, John." A woman said, coming up to him and giving him a chagrined look. The man, John, turned to face the woman, shaking his head.

" _He_ gave them to me." He said quickly, making Stiles’ mouth drop open in surprise. He couldn't believe he'd fobbed that off on him.

"Hey, you were going for them. Don't blame your sneaky curly fries eating ways on me, a poor innocent bystander." He cried in mock outrage, putting his hand to his heart and pulling off an over the top affronted look. The man chuckled and dumped the fries onto Stiles' plate.

"Who's your friend?" The woman asked, looking amused at the whole interaction instead of angry. John looked at him, realizing he hadn't done anything as simple as introductions, and Stiles felt sorry for him.

"Stiles Lee." He introduced himself.

"Stiles..." John repeated, his eyes wide. "My father used to call himself Stiles, short for Stilinski. I'm John Stillinski. Sheriff John Stilinski." He introduced. "And this is my wife Melissa." He added. Stiles snorted, turning to look at the woman.

"Oh yeah, I'm the spitting image of her." He joked but the Sheriff shook his head.

"I meant my late wife." He told him and Stiles felt like a grade A asshole. He'd only said it as a joke but now he felt like a jerk.

"Oh, man, I'm so sorry. Are we sure they're not serving feet here because it looks like I have one in my mouth." He said apologetically. John waved him off, giving him a fond look.

"What are we talking about?" Melissa asked in confusion, looking between the two of them.

"He looks like Sarah. And the way he talks sounds like Sarah too." He pointed out and Melissa's eyes widened as she looked him over.

"Wow, yeah, you're right. He does look like Sarah." She confirmed. "But, as weird as this sounds, he looks like you too." She added, making Stiles and John look each other over critically, trying to see it. "If I didn't know better I'd think he was your son." She told them both. Stiles felt something in his chest tighten at that, felt like pulling the other man into a hug, which was stupid because this man definitely wasn't his father, he knew his father and this man was not him.

"Oh hey, you found my Mom and Step Dad." Scott's voice came up from behind them, breaking the three of them of the moment. John turned away quickly, wiping tears from his eyes and Stiles pretended he didn't see that. Scott reached them and his hand fell to Stiles' shoulder and squeezed, giving them all a huge smile.

"Wait, this is your Mom?" Stiles asked in surprise and they all nodded.

"They got married about three years ago." Scott informed him, as though it was something he should know. A huge grin came over Stiles' face, he couldn't help it, he felt so happy for them all. He almost felt like saying that that made them brothers, which was ridiculous because it definitely didn't. He chalked that feeling up to the whole conversation they'd been having before Scott arrived and nothing more.

"Congratulations. I'm so happy for you. You both deserve to be happy." Stiles told them, feeling tears come to his eyes. Irrationally he wished that he'd been there to see that wedding. He tried to picture what it would have been like, wondering if they'd had a huge wedding in some fancy church, or something outside in a park, before deciding that they'd probably just gone down to the court house to get it done because that was just the kind of people they were, even though he didn't actually know that for a fact.

"Thank you, son." John said, tears coming to his own eyes again but this time he didn't even try to hide them. The term son felt so natural both for John to say to this young man he'd only just met and for Stiles to hear from this man. Melissa smiled and gave him a quick hug, not knowing what had come over her but feeling compelled to do so anyway. 

"I thought you didn't know any werewolves." Cullen said as he approached them, moving to stand next to them and putting a heavy hand on Stiles' shoulder. It was a possessive dick move and Stiles did not appreciate it, and apparently neither did Scott if the low growl he let out was any indication. Stiles frowned at the interruption, turning to face his boyfriend in annoyance.

"I didn't." He confirmed. "We just met." He added. Cullen was definitely the first werewolf he'd ever met, even if it did feel like he'd known the guy next to him for a lifetime.

"Well you look pretty chummy with this one." Cullen told him, sounding a little sulky. Stiles could kind of understand why he was so upset, they'd come together but then Stiles had ditched him right away and wasn't spending any time with him, but it was Cullen's own fault for forgetting to mention the pretty big detail of the party being thrown by the pack his clan was sworn enemies with.

"Whoa dude, you don't have to get territorial over me. I have a mate and he's awesome. Not to mention the fact that Stiles is like a brother to me. Gross." Scott told him, not even thinking before speaking. None of them mentioned how weird it was that he thought of Stiles like a brother even though they'd just met but they were all thinking it.

"Well come on, you still have to meet my sister. Her mate is the Alpha of this pack, it's only polite." Cullen told him and Stiles felt something cold building in his stomach. He didn't like thinking that Cullen's sister was the Alpha Hale's mate, the idea of it got his hackles up. It wasn't even the fact that it was his boyfriend's sister that was mated with a Hale, it was the thought of _anyone_ being that _particular_ Hale's mate that was annoying him. He didn't understand it, he'd never met the person, he didn't even know if it was a man or a woman, why would he feel that way? Regardless of his feelings about the matter he let Cullen lead him over to where his sister was standing in the middle of a group of people that could only be werewolves.

"Don't worry, she's not really his mate." Scott assured him, going along with him. "She just tells people she is. For Derek, there's no way anyone could ever compete with y..." He cut himself off, not knowing why he'd been about to tell him that no one could compete with Stiles in Derek's eyes. Stiles chuckled, trying to cover up the awkward moment, but felt a bit better about the whole thing now that he knew Cullen's sister wasn't really this Derek guy's mate.

"She might not officially be his mate yet but she _will be_." Cullen snapped at Scott, sounding annoyed. "That's why he went to see my father, to discuss the terms of the mating." He added. That cold feeling was back for Stiles and Scott looked confused, obviously not sure whether he should believe him or not.

"You must be the famous Stiles Lee." Gwyn said when they reached her. It was clear from the fake smile on her face that she'd heard their whole conversation as they'd approached her and she was watching Stiles critically. Stiles knew that it had more to do with what Scott had started to say than the fact that he was dating her brother and he didn't blame her for that. Still, he flinched at the use of his last name, looking at Scott to see if he'd been busted as being an enemy of his pack, but Scott was oblivious to it all, grinning at him without a care in the world.

"And you're Gwyn. It's nice to meet you." He greeted, giving her a smile and reaching out to shake her hand. She stared at his hand for a moment so he wiped it on his pants just in case there was something on it and then offered it to her again. Her nostrils flared and then her eyes widened before hurriedly shaking his hand, caressing it in a way that weirded him out.

"I'm sorry, that was terribly rude of me. It's just there are so many werewolves here my instincts don't quite know whether there's a threat around or not so I'm snapping at everybody." She said airily, pulling him closer to her and into her side. 

Stiles stared at her in surprise at the switch in her personality. She had him pressed completely against her side and he gave her a wary look. He didn't know what was happening here but he knew a lot about werewolves and he could pick out scenting when it was happening to him and it was definitely happening to him. The weird thing though was that she wasn't trying to get her scent on him, she was trying to get his scent on her, which he couldn't see a reason for. The only reason he could come up with was that she was trying to smell more like him so the Alpha wouldn't harm him when he got back because if his mate smelt like him then he couldn't be a threat. The idea that she was the Alpha's mate still didn't sit right with him and he tried to pull away but she was too strong for him.

"Uh, that's okay. No hard feelings." He kept trying to subtly edge away from her but she was holding him so tight he was afraid she'd use her claws to keep him in place if he kept moving.

"So, Stiles, tell me all about yourself. My brother is absolutely smitten with you, did you know?" She asked, giving him a shark like grin. Stiles chuckled nervously.

"Um, well..." He started but she cut him off.

"Have you ever been to Beacon Hills before?" She asked, watching him carefully for his answer. Stiles frowned in confusion. He had no idea where that question had come from or why she was so invested in the answer.

"Nope, can't say that I have." He told her easily. A frown flit across her face and he had a feeling it was because she hadn't been able to detect that as a lie. He had no idea why she thought he'd been lying though so that was another mystery altogether.

"Cullen tells me you'd never met a werewolf before him, is that true?" She asked, again seeming to be watching him closely for his answer. 

"He's the first one." He confirmed. "My family wouldn't ever let me around when they were speaking with their werewolf contacts." He added. She frowned again but obviously hadn't detected a lie. He had no idea what she thought he was lying about. He thought that maybe she thought that he used that as a line to pick up werewolves or something but that was just ridiculous.

"Gwyn, stop interrogating him." Cullen told her, giving her an annoyed look. She spared her brother a quick look before turning back to Stiles and opening her mouth to probably ask yet another question but was cut off by Scott.

"Oh, Derek's home." He informed them, staring up towards the long driveway. The car he could hear wasn't even in sight yet but everybody looked over there regardless. Stiles felt something swirling in his stomach at the thought that the Alpha was approaching. He wasn't sure if it was because he was worried about possibly getting killed or not because it felt a whole lot like excitement and anticipation. 

Finally the Alpha's Jeep appeared and Stiles felt his eyes widening. Something about the Jeep felt familiar and the only reason he could think that could be was because he'd been talking about buying a Jeep himself for years but his father didn't think it was an appropriate car for him so he wasn't allowed to have one. Derek stopped the car and then climbed out and Stiles felt his heartbeat skyrocketing. Dimly he could hear Cullen worriedly asking if he was okay, saying that his heart was pounding, but Stiles couldn't focus on him. The only thing he could focus on was the extremely attractive man who'd jumped out of the Jeep. 

All the fear he'd felt earlier worrying about the Alpha's reaction to finding out he was a Lee was a distant memory. All he could think of was the fact that he never wanted to move from the spot he was standing if it meant staring at this man forever. It was probably highly inappropriate to be thinking that with his boyfriend standing next to him curling a protective arm around his waist but Stiles didn't care even one little bit.

Slowly but surely the Alpha turned his eyes to Stiles, pausing and staring at him. His eyes hardened but not in an angry way, instead it looked more like he was caught off guard by something but trying to cover it up. Every one at the party seemed to shut up and turn to watch as Derek made his way over to where Stiles was standing. Stiles felt like he could do nothing but stare into the other man's eyes as he got closer and it seemed as though the Alpha was feeling the same because his eyes didn't leave his either. It felt like he was being stalked like prey but in the best possible, a little sexy, way. He finally reached them and the daze they'd found themselves in was shattered as Gwyn moved to stand next to the Alpha, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Who's your friend?" Derek asked and Stiles felt his breath leaving his lungs. That voice, he'd heard it before, many times before, but only in his dreams.

"This is Cullen's boyfriend. Stiles Lee." Gwyn introduced and Stiles wanted to be mad at her for using his last name in front of a Hale but that was kind of wiped away by the look that passed Derek's face.

" _Stiles_." He repeated, his voice a mere whisper, before promptly passing out on the floor at his feet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I should stop writing cliff hangers. I'm sorry. 
> 
> I'm on Tumblr, [come say hi](http://kimmi-watch.tumblr.com/) and maybe kick me when I'm not updating or something.


End file.
